6/25/15

"FAITH IS THE VICTORY!"
In Overcoming SinINTRODUCTION
1. The theme for this series is "Faith Is The Victory!", with the
following text as the basis for our study...
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the
victory that has overcome the world; our faith. Who is he who
overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son
of God? (1Jn 5:4-5)
2. In our previous study, we saw that the faith which overcomes the
world is...
a. A strong conviction and trust in Jesus:
1) As the Christ, the Son of God - cf. Ac 8:37
2) As the way, the truth, and the life - cf. Jn 14:6-7
3) Who alone provides the way to God and eternal life - cf. Jn 6:
68-69
b. A strong conviction and trust in Jesus that comes by:
1) The Word of God - Ro 10:17
2) The evidence provided by the Word of God - Jn 20:30-31
3. The "world" we can overcome by faith in Jesus includes anything that
can hinder our relationship with God, even such things as...
a. Anxiety e. Discontentment
b. Boredom f. Fear
c. Depression g. Grief
d. Despair h. Loneliness
4. Our purpose in this series is to illustrate how faith in Jesus helps
us to overcome such things, but it is important that we first talk
about overcoming SIN...
a. While sin is not taken too seriously these days, it should be
b. The problem of sin must be overcome if we are to overcome
anything else
1) In some cases, sin may be the underlying cause of problems we
face
2) In any case, unless we overcome sin, we will not have God's
help to overcome the problems before us! - cf. Isa 59:1-2;
1Pe 3:12
5. In this lesson, I wish to do two things...
a. Carefully define the problem of sin
b. Explain how faith in Jesus can overcome the problem of sin
[Let's begin then by considering...]
I. THE PROBLEM OF SINA. THERE IS THE "GUILT" OF SIN...
1. First, everyone is guilty of sin - Ro 3:23
a. Even if one has committed just one sin, it as though they
have committed them all! - cf. Jm 2:10
b. That is because sin is so terrible, and God is so holy!
2. There is both "legal" guilt and "emotional" guilt
a. Legal guilt means you have violated God's law
1) God has a Law, and if we break it, He holds us
accountable - 1Jn 3:4
2) The price of such guilt is "death", i.e., eternal
separation from God - Ro 6:23; Re 21:8
b. Emotional guilt pertains to one's conscience of sin
1) When we know we have done wrong, we feel "guilty"
2) Our conscience becomes burdened by such "guilt" for our sins
3. Even if we have so hardened our conscience that we feel no
"emotional" guilt, the "legal" guilt remains
a. God still holds us accountable, and will judge us on the
last day - Jn 12:48; Ac 17:30-31
b. Until then, unforgiven sin also prevents God from coming to
our aid - Isa 59:1-2; 1Pe 3:12
1) Which means we must bear our burdens alone
2) Whatever comfort, peace, and strength God might provide,
is not for one who remains in their sin! - Isa 57:19-21B. THERE IS THE "POWER" OF SIN...
1. The problem of sin is not limited to guilt
a. As if the guilt of sin weren't bad enough!
b. Sin also has the power to enslave a person so that they
can't do what they really want to do!
2. Jesus described the power of sin - Jn 8:31-34
a. In passage often misapplied to talk about truth leading to
freedom (e.g., political)
b. The freedom under consideration is freedom from the slavery
of sin!
c. When one commits sin, they become a slave of sin!
3. Paul vividly depicted what his life was like under the bondage
of sin, from which the Law of Moses could not deliver - Ro 7:
14-24
a. He was "sold under sin" - Ro 7:14
b. He could not do what he wanted, and what he did not wish to
do, he did - Ro 7:15
c. He found that "sin dwells in me" - Ro 7:17,20
d. Though he desired to do good, "how to perform what is good
I do not find" - Ro 7:18
e. He found himself brought "into captivity to the law of sin
which is in my members" - Ro 7:23
f. It made him "wretched", crying out for deliverance from
"this body of death" - Ro 7:24
[Sin is a like a powerful drug, to which we become enslaved (addicted).
Until we somehow are set free from the power of sin, the guilt of sin
separates us from God; any problem we have, therefore, we face alone,
with no assistance from God!
But through faith in Jesus, there can be victory in overcoming sin!
Let's see how...]
II. HOW FAITH IN JESUS OVERCOMES SINA. BY PROVIDING THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN...
1. Remission of sins is promised to those who believe in Jesus
- Ac 10:43
a. Made possible by the shedding of His blood - Ep 1:7
b. Jesus became our "propitiation" (a sacrifice designed to
appease) - 1Jn 2:2; 4:9-10
c. Through His blood we are "justified" (i.e., declared "not
guilty"), and therefore spared from the wrath of God to
come - Ro 5:9
2. Such forgiveness is promised to those whose faith in Jesus
moves them to repent and be baptized - Ac 2:38; 3:19
a. Repentance - that "change of mind" in which we turn from
sin to serve God
b. Baptism - that "burial" in which we are united with Christ
into His death, that we might be crucified with Him and
then rise to walk in newness of life - Ro 6:3-7
3. Forgiveness continues as we repent and confess our sins in
prayer - Ac 8:22; 1Jn 1:9
-- In this way Jesus deals with the "guilt" of sin (legal and
emotional - cf. He 9:14)B. BY PROVIDING THE POWER OVER SIN...
1. In Ro 6:6-7, Paul speaks of freedom from sin...
a. "we should no longer be slaves of sin"
b. "...has been freed from sin"
2. Later, in Ro 8:1-2,12-13 he describes where this "power"
comes from...
a. It is "the law (principle) of the Spirit of life in Christ"
which frees one from "the law of sin and death"
b. In particular, how the Spirit enables us to "put to death
the deeds of the body"
c. With the aid of the Spirit, we now have the help of God to
overcome sin! - cf. Ep 3:16,20-21; Php 4:13
3. The promise of the Spirit was given by both Jesus and His
apostles
a. To those who believe in Him - Jn 7:37-39
b. To those who repent and are baptized - Ac 2:38-39
c. I.e., to those who obey Him and become "children of God"
- cf. Ac 5:32; Ga 3:26-27; 4:6; 5:16
-- In this way Jesus deals with the "power" of sinCONCLUSION
1. To the one who is willing to believe in Jesus, with a trust and
conviction to do what He says, then "Faith Is The Victory!"
2. There is certainly victory over SIN...
a. Over the legal and emotion guilt of sin
b. Over the power of sin which easily enslaves us
-- This He does through the gift of His blood, and the gift of the
Holy Spirit!
With such wonderful gifts, we can now have the kind of relationship
with God by which we can also overcome whatever else the world might
throw at us...

Has Noah's Ark Been Found?

by

Trevor Major, M.Sc., M.A.

Q.

Has Noah’s ark been found?

A.

In short, no, the ark has not been found. However, it is worth digging
into this question a little deeper, because claims of discovery or
sightings are so frequent.
People have reported seeing the ark many times over the last 150 years.
They include Turkish soldiers, Russian pilots, Kurdish villagers, and
foreign travelers. Most of the sightings and searches have focused on
Greater Ararat (17,011 feet above sea level), although the biblical
“mountains of Ararat” (Genesis 8:4), where the ark came to rest,
probably refers to a much larger geographic area. The mountains are
located in a politically troubled part of eastern Turkey, bordering
Armenia and Iran. Ararat’s size and location have contributed to a
variety of proposed sites, and some colorful adventures.
Most search efforts in the last few decades have attempted to pinpoint
the locations given by previous “eyewitness” reports. One such report
receiving much attention in the past year came from George Jammal—a
Palestinian living in California. In an unsolicited letter to the
Institute for Creation Research (ICR), and in a taped interview with ICR
scientist John Morris, Jammal claimed to have discovered the ark in
1984. He alleged also to have a piece of wood from the ark, although
Morris (1994) says he never was able to confirm this or the location of
the find. Then in 1992, Sun Pictures began work on a film called The Incredible Discovery of Noah’s Ark.
Although Morris had little confidence in the details of Jammal’s story,
he referred Jammal to Sun, who used him extensively. During that
interview, Jammal produced the mysterious timber.
The two-hour show, which aired on CBS in
February 1993, switched between sensational stories about the discovery
of the ark, and excellent scenes portraying evidence for a global flood.
In either case, the anti-creationists were not happy. They expected CBS to make a public apology, but CBS
and Sun maintained that the show was simply entertainment. What really
caused a stir, however, was the revelation that Jammal literally cooked
up his piece of wood, working in collusion with prominent humanist
Gerald LaRue. Critics have had a field day using this incident to
discredit the whole Ark show. Yet while the humanists snicker
over their prank, we may ask which is worse: that Sun Pictures naively
accepted someone’s claims at face value, or that people worked
deliberately to lie and defraud? In any case, the film did not present a
verifiable discovery of Noah’s ark, and Morris now regrets his
involvement with Jammal (1994, p. 3).
Another controversial claim received wide attention in the early 1990s.
Various video tapes and articles were in circulation proclaiming that
the ark had been found 12-15 miles south of Greater Ararat (e.g.,
Yocham, 1991). Actually, this story began more than three decades ago.
In 1959, a Turkish pilot had noticed a large, boat-shaped object in
aerial photographs of the area, and an article in Life magazine
the next year brought it to the world’s attention. Despite high
expectations, a scientific expedition in 1960 showed that this was
neither a boat nor the remains of Noah’s ark. However, one of the
expedition’s members, René Noorbergen, published a book in 1974 claiming
that this object was indeed the ark (Shea, 1988, p. 8).
The site’s most vigorous promoter is self-styled biblical archaeologist
Ron Wyatt. Since his first visit in 1977, Wyatt has convinced various
scientists to investigate the site. While many of these scientists
believe in the Flood account, their results, plus surveys carried out by
Turkish geologists, have shown convincingly that this boat-shaped
object is a natural geologic formation. Various claims, such as having
mapped the subsurface structure of a boat or having discovered wooden
and metallic artifacts, are all false (Snelling, 1992).
No doubt more claims will come to light in the future. We must ask: Who
is making these claims, and can the details be verified? Considering
that the Ararat region has experienced volcanic and glacial activity,
the likelihood of finding recognizable remains of an ancient wooden
vessel is extremely remote. Therefore, Christians should treat ark
discovery claims with a high degree of skepticism.

Divine Design and the Pine Tree

The naturalistic explanation given by evolutionists for the existence
of the created order cannot meet the dictates of logic that characterize
the unencumbered, unprejudiced human mind. The more one investigates
the intricacies and complexities of the natural realm, the more
self-evident it is that a grand and great Designer is responsible for
the existence of the Universe. In fact, the evidence is overwhelming and
decisive.
Take, for example, the pine tree. Some 120 species and subspecies of
the pine tree exist worldwide (“What Are...?,” n.d.). The Ponderosa pine
tree (pinus ponderosa) is one of America’s abundant tree
species, covering approximately 27 million acres of land (“Ponderosa
Pine,” 1995). A young Ponderosa pine has brownish-black bark that
changes to a distinctive orange-brown color as the tree grows older. The
bark is segmented into large plate-like structures whose appearance has
been likened to a jigsaw puzzle. This unusual design has a purpose. If
the tree catches fire, these plates pop off as the bark burns. The tree,
in effect, sheds its burning bark! This design, along with the great
thickness of the bark, allows the tree to be very resistant to low
intensity fires (“Ponderosa Pine,” n.d.). Since design demands a
designer, who is responsible for this intricate design?

Ponderosa barkCourtesy sxc.hu and Jesse Adams

Another species of pine tree is the Lodgepole Pine (pinus contorta),
so named since Native Americans used Lodgepole pine for the “lodge
poles” in their tepees. This amazing pine tree grows cones that are
slightly smaller than a golf ball, are tan when fresh, but turn gray
with age. These serotinous cones remain closed until the heat of a
forest fire causes them to open. After the fire, the cones open and
reseed the forest. The species thus regenerates itself—even though the forest fire kills the tree itself (“Lodgepole Pine,” n.d.). Since such design demands a designer, who is responsible for this ingenious design?
Yet another species of pine tree is the Whitebark Pine (pinus albicaulis).
This tree possesses a symbiotic relationship with a bird species known
as the Clark’s Nutcracker. The tree is dependent on this bird for
reproduction, while the seed of the tree is a major source of food for
the bird. This mutualistic relationship is further seen in the fact that
Whitebark pinecones do not open and cast seed when they are ripe. The
cones remain closed until the Nutcracker comes along, pries the cone
open with its bill, and stores the seed within a pouch beneath its
tongue. The bird then caches the seed to be used later as a food supply.
Some of these seed caches are forgotten, or are not needed, thus
enabling the tree to reproduce (“Whitebark Pine,” n.d.). Such amazing
design—with no Mind behind it? Illogical!

Ponderosa pine treeCourtesy bigstockphotos.com and Angela McElroy

The interdependent, interconnected, interpenetrating features of God’s
Creation are beyond the capability of man to trace out—let alone to
“manage” or “assist.” Neither a pine tree nor a pinecone is sentient.
They have no thinking capacity or consciousness. They possess no
personhood, soul, or spirit. Pine trees did not get together and discuss
the threat of forest fires to their future survival, and then decide to
produce pinecones that would remain closed during a fire only to open
afterwards. The standard explanations by evolutionists for such wonders
of creation are incoherent and nonsensical. Elihu reminded Job: “Behold,
God is exalted in His power; Who is a teacher like Him? Who has
appointed Him His way, and who has said, ‘You have done wrong’? Remember
that you should exalt His work, of which men have sung. All men have
seen it; man beholds from afar” (Job 36:22-25—NASB).
Indeed, the realm of nature literally shouts forth the reality of the
all-powerful Maker Who alone accounts for the intelligent design of the
created order. As the psalmist so eloquently affirmed: “The heavens
declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork....
There is no speech, nor language where their voice is not heard. Their
line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of
the world” (Psalm 19:1-4). Indeed, “since the creation of the world His
invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things
that are made” (Romans 1:20). Only a foolish person would conclude there
is no God (Psalm 14:1).

Assumptions and the Age of the Earth

[EDITOR’S
NOTE: The following article was written by A.P. staff scientist Dr.
Houts who holds a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from MIT and serves as
the Nuclear Research Manager for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.]

Scientific advances continue to confirm the Bible in all areas where
science can be applied. Advances in life science have shown that even
the simplest life is vastly more complicated than anything humans have
ever made, and believing life could somehow “make itself” is more absurd
than believing a space shuttle could do the same (Miller, 2013).
Research related to the human genome has uncovered the incredible
complexity of DNA, and the idea that random mutations followed by
natural selection could somehow turn a single cell into all of the
different forms of life we see around us is being further discredited
each day (Sanford, 2008). In these areas (and others) it is obvious that
true science is the Christian’s friend, and the enemy of religions that use evolution as their foundation.
Because true science continues to discredit the Theory of Evolution,
atheists have been forced to focus discussion on topics where
conclusions are drawn primarily based on the assumptions that are made,
and not on actual science. If an unsuspecting individual can be
convinced to accept atheistic assumptions, they can then often be
convinced that atheism may be true or, at least, that portions of the
Bible may be false.
One example is the subject of “age.” When one examines the subject, it
becomes clear that all dating methods rely on assumptions that may or
may not be correct. Because all dating methods ultimately rely on
assumptions that cannot be empirically proven, the battle is no longer a
scientific one (where the atheist or agnostic would lose), but a battle
to convince individuals (and society) to accept atheistic assumptions
without question. Within groups already dedicated to finding an
atheistic explanation for the Universe and everything in it, the atheist
has the upper hand.

Assumptions Related to Carbon Dating

An excellent example of the importance of assumptions is Carbon-14
dating. In a nutshell, if a person assumes the Bible is false, Carbon-14
dating can be used to “show” the Bible is false. If a person assumes
the Bible is true, then Carbon-14 dating is shown to be consistent with
the biblical account.
More specifically, an atheist will usually assume that the Earth is
billions of years old, and that uniformitarianism has generally
prevailed. Although minor adjustments are allowed, an atheist would also
typically assume that there have been no large scale changes in the
atmospheric ratio of Carbon-14 to carbon (14C/C; currently about one part per trillion) for at least the past several hundred thousand years.
From a Christian perspective, the Bible makes it clear that the Earth
was created a few thousand years ago. In addition, a global flood
occurred within the past 5,000 years. Uncertainties in the distribution
and concentration of Carbon-14 at the end of Creation week, coupled with
the potential for significant (two orders of magnitude) changes in
Carbon-14 concentration caused by removal of carbon from the biosphere
during the Flood, make it impossible to estimate Carbon-14
concentrations in the atmosphere much before a few centuries after the
Flood. Additional uncertainties are added due to changes in the Earth’s
magnetic field, the Sun’s magnetic field, the cosmic ray flux reaching
the Earth’s atmosphere, and other factors which can dramatically affect
Carbon-14 production rates.
To estimate the age of a carbon containing sample, the standard equation C = Co (e-λt) is used, where C is the currently measured Carbon-14 (14C) concentration; Co is the 14C concentration at the time of an organism’s death (assumed); e is the base of natural logarithms (2.71828); λ is 0.6931 divided by the half-life of 14C; and t is time. Solving the equation for time (given the current 14C half-life of 5,730 years), one obtains t = ln(C/Co)/-0.000121, where “t” is the time in years since the source of the carbon in the sample died.
The importance of the assumptions that are used to date a specimen can
be demonstrated as follows. Suppose a carbon containing sample is found
with a Carbon-14 concentration 2% that of today. Using the typical
atheistic assumptions stated above, the age would be calculated as t
= ln(0.02)/-.000121 = 32,330 years. However, if biblically consistent
assumptions are made, a significantly different age would be estimated.
For example, if a reasonable assumption was made concerning potential
effects of the Flood (for instance, that near the time of the Flood Co was 1/30th that of today), then the same measured data would yield an age of t = ln(0.02/0.0333)/-.000121 = 4,210 years.
From the same measured 14C/C ratio, one could either make
atheistic assumptions and obtain a biblically inconsistent date, or make
biblically consistent assumptions and obtain a biblically consistent
date. The same measured data yields a non-biblical date (32,330 years)
if the Bible is presupposed to be wrong (i.e., no Flood and no recent
Creation) and a biblically consistent date (4,210 years) if potential
effects from even a single biblical event are taken into account.
In addition to the Flood, there are numerous other factors that could affect Co
in artifacts created near the time of the Flood. For example, the total
energy in the Earth’s magnetic field has been measured to be decreasing
with time (Humphreys, 1984). The Earth’s magnetic field shields the
Earth from cosmic rays that form Carbon-14 in the Earth’s atmosphere.
The stronger the magnetic field, the fewer cosmic rays enter the Earth’s
atmosphere, and the lower the amount of Carbon-14 produced. The
stronger magnetic field of the past could thus cause carbon-dated
objects (using atheistic assumptions) to have a calculated age older
than reality. It is also impossible to determine how much (if any)
Carbon-14 was present in the original Creation, and if Carbon-14 was
present, how it was initially distributed.
From a biblical perspective, the Flood was the most recent physical
event that would have had a significant effect on the ratio of 14C/C.
Consequently, the effect of assumptions on samples created more than a
few centuries after the Flood are greatly reduced. Once the 14C/C
ratio had time to stabilize following the Flood, both biblical models
and atheistic models would use the same assumption for the initial
condition, i.e., that the 14C/C ratio was about the same when the sample was formed as it is today.
Biblical and secular written records generally agree, and when there
are disagreements, an assumption is made as to which source to believe.
For very old objects, some archeological dating methods (including
pottery styles, burial layer, etc.) give biblically inconsistent dates.
However, most of these methods are ultimately calibrated to Carbon-14
dating. If the Carbon-14 dates are wrong (due to incorrect assumptions
applied to the initial 14C/C ratio), then the dating methods
calibrated to those dates will also be wrong. Attempts have also been
made to use tree ring patterns for calibration, but those are also
influenced by assumptions, especially if the potential for sub-annual
tree ring growth following the Flood is taken into account (Miller, 2014).

Assumptions Related to other Radiometric Dating Methods

Assumptions dominate other radiometric dating methods as well. For
example, secular radiometric dating methods assume that radioactive
decay rates have always been constant. In addition, assumptions are made
about the initial concentration of all of the isotopes that are
involved in the dating method, and assumptions are made about the
addition or removal of isotopes throughout the life of the sample. If
any of these assumptions is incorrect, significant errors can be
introduced into the estimated age.
Major anomalies associated with radiometric dating methods can be
resolved by biblically consistent models. For example, Carbon-14 is
found in diamonds and coal purported to be hundreds of millions of years
old. However, Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,730 years, meaning ½ of
the atoms decay (in this case beta-decay to Nitrogen-14) every 5,730
years. It was noted by the RATE group that the detectable presence of
Carbon-14 in any sample indicates that its age is less (possibly much
less) than approximately 100,000 years; otherwise, the Carbon-14 would
have decayed below detectable levels (DeYoung, 2005, p. 175; NOTE: RATE
[Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth] refers to an eight year
research project conducted by the Institute for Creation Research). The
presence of Carbon-14 in coal and diamonds strongly contradicts
evolutionary theory, which claims that both coal and diamonds formed
millions of years ago. The “problem” (from an evolutionist’s standpoint)
of Carbon-14 in coal has also been reported by Lowe (1989, 31:117-120),
Giem (2001, 51:6-30), and others. Additional information related to
Carbon-14 dating and anomalies is given in Batten, 2002.
Attempts to resolve the contradiction between measured Carbon-14
concentration and assumed age include postulating potential
contamination of samples, errors with the equipment used to detect
Carbon-14, and in-situ production of Carbon-14 from the decay
of uranium or thorium mixed with the sample. Contamination and equipment
error have been ruled out, and current decay rates are orders of
magnitude lower than those required to make in-situ production a
viable explanation (Jull, 1985, 20:676). However, if radioactive decay
rates were greatly accelerated (by a factor of a billion or more) during
Creation week or the Flood, then additional investigation could be
warranted to determine if in-situ production of Carbon-14 could be a potential explanation for at least some of the Carbon-14 in coal and diamonds.
Other observations made by the RATE group are also consistent with
periods of greatly accelerated radioactive decay during Creation week or
the Flood. One of the findings of the RATE group was excess helium
retention in zircons. This finding indicates that based on measured
helium diffusion rates, the observed radioactive decay in zircons must
have occurred within the past several thousand years. If it had taken
longer, the helium generated via alpha decay would have diffused out of
the zircons. The group’s observation is that significant radioactive
decay has occurred, and it has occurred recently (DeYoung, p. 176).
An additional finding of the RATE group is that ages estimated using
parent isotopes that undergo beta decay tend to be significantly
different (younger) than ages estimated using parent isotopes that
undergo alpha decay. This could suggest that whatever mechanism God used
to change decay rates during Creation week and around the time of the
Flood had a different effect on alpha emitters than it did on beta
emitters (DeYoung, p. 121). The RATE group has also performed research
related to radiohalos, fission tracks in zircons, and potential
mechanisms for alleviating issues (such as high heating rates)
introduced by accelerated radioactive decay (pp. 174-183). Among other
implications, the observations of the RATE group indicate that
assumptions used in radiometric dating may be false, and that ages
estimated through use of radiometric dating may be incorrect by several
orders of magnitude.
In addition to recent research performed by both Christian and secular
scientists alike, other lines of evidence have been known for years that
are consistent with a relatively recent Creation (Humphreys, 2000).
These include the rate at which galaxies “wind up” (too fast for long
ages), the amount of mud on the seafloor (too little), the amount of
sodium in the sea (too little), the rate at which the Earth’s magnetic
field is decaying (too fast), the number of stone age skeletons (too
few), the development of agriculture (too recent), and numerous others.
Biblically based theories also exist for interpreting what we observe in
the Universe, given a relatively recent Creation (e.g., Humphreys,
1994; Thompson,
2004; Faulkner, 2013). Other biblically consistent interpretations have
also been proposed (Williams and Hartnett, 2005, p. 180).

Assumptions Related to the Origin of the Universe

Assumptions related to “age” are not limited to radiometric dating
methods. Perhaps some of the most egregious assumptions are associated
with the “Big Bang” theory, the current attempt to develop an atheistic
explanation for the origin of the Universe.
Serious contradictions between the predictions of the Big Bang theory
and actual astronomical observations have been known for decades. By the
mid-1970s, the evidence against the theory had become so overwhelming
that “explanations” were required. “Dark matter” and “dark energy” were
contrived, and initially said to make up 50% of the Universe. That
number has since grown and, at present, a total of 96% of the Universe
needs to be made of dark matter and dark energy in order to preserve the
Big Bang theory.
Christians and non-Christians alike readily acknowledge that dark
matter and dark energy are merely hypothetical entities that, by
definition, cannot be directly observed. For example, former NASA
administrator Mike Griffin once asked the value of “discovering that
literally 95% of the Universe consists of dark energy or dark matter,
terms for things that we as yet know nothing about? But they make up 95%
of our Universe” (Griffin, 2007). He went on to write that someday we
may learn to harness these “new things.” When asked about dark energy,
physicist Michael Turner of the University of Chicago quipped: “The only
thing we know about dark energy is its name” (Griffin, 2007).
While dark matter and dark energy have been given specific properties,
those properties were specifically chosen to help resolve serious
problems with the Big Bang. Additionally, dark matter and dark energy
can be distributed throughout the Universe in any fashion desired. When
observations are still contradicted, concepts such as “dark flow” and
“dark light” can be invoked. Other contradictions are resolved by
concepts such as “inflation,” which in themselves are merely conjectures
aimed at resolving other serious problems with the Big Bang.
With this approach, any set of data can be claimed to support any
theory desired. All that is required is the judicious use of “fudge
factors.” Consider this mathematical analogy: one could predecide that
100 must be the answer to the question, “what does X + Y equal?” Values
for “X” could then be sought, and no matter what values for “X” were
found, a value for “Y” could be chosen to obtain the desired answer. In
the analogy, “X” is actual astronomical observations, “100” would be the
desired answer (support for the Big Bang theory), and “Y” is the fudge
factors (dark matter, dark energy, inflation, etc.) needed to make the
equation true. The actual astronomical observations
(“X”) become somewhat irrelevant, because no matter what data is taken,
“Y” (the fudge factors) can be chosen to claim the observations support
the Big Bang theory.
Circular reasoning is then invoked to pretend the approach is valid.
For example, in the case of the Big Bang theory, maps showing the
location of dark matter have been developed. In reality, all these maps
show is the specific ways dark matter must be invoked to avoid
contradictions between actual observations and the Big Bang theory.
Christians are not the only ones who have noticed the non-scientific
nature of the Big Bang theory. For example, in the May 22, 2004 issue of
New Scientist, an open letter to the scientific community
appeared written primarily by secular scientists
(cosmologystatement.org). The letter was subsequently signed by hundreds
of other scientists and professors at various institutions. Two
representative paragraphs from the letter are as follows.

The big bang today relies on a growing number of hypothetical entities, things that we have never observed—inflation, dark matter and dark energy are the most prominent examples. Without them, there would be a fatal contradiction between the observations made by astronomers and the predictions of the big bang theory. In no other field of physics would this continual recourse to new hypothetical objects be accepted
as a way of bridging the gap between theory and observation. It would,
at the least, raise serious questions about the validity of the
underlying theory.

What is more, the big bang theory can boast of no quantitative predictions
that have subsequently been validated by observation. The successes
claimed by the theory’s supporters consist of its ability to
retrospectively fit observations with a steadily increasing array of
adjustable parameters, just as the old Earth-centered cosmology of
Ptolemy needed layer upon layer of epicycles (Lisle, 2008, p. 103, emp.
added).

Although the signers of the letter were not necessarily endorsing
biblically based theories, unlike atheistic theories, biblically based
theories are very consistent with astronomical observations (Faulkner,
2013; Humphreys, 1994).

Adherence to Faulty Assumptions Hinders True Science

Tremendous spiritual damage is done by the promotion of atheism through
the pretense of atheistic theories being scientific. Ironically,
though, the strict adherence to atheistic theories (regardless of
countering evidence) also does tremendous damage to the advancement of
science.
For example, for a secular theory of cosmology to be considered, it
must adhere to atheistic (and non-scientific) tenets such as the
“Copernican Principle,” which essentially states that Earth cannot be at
a special location within the Universe. That principle drives not only
fundamental assumptions behind the Big Bang theory, but the means by
which alternative theories can be seriously pursued.
Consider the August 2009 paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science and quoted in the popular press, including USA Today (Vergano, 2009):

Mathematicians have come up with an answer Monday for the mystery of
“dark energy” tearing the universe apart at an accelerating rate. It
ain’t there. Blake Temple and Joel Smoller suggest that “expanding
waves” from the Big Bang “are propelling the trillions of galaxies
filling the universe apart…. Dark energy is an illusion if their
equations are right.” However, “the only problem is that for the
equations to work, we must be ‘literally at the center of the
universe’...” says physicist Lawrence Krauss of Arizona State University
in Tempe. I think this is plausible mathematics, but it doesn’t seem
physically relevant.

If Earth and its environs are centered in a vast,
billion-light-year-long bubble, relatively free of matter, in turn
surrounded by a massive, dense shell of material, then gravity’s tug
would cause galaxies inside the void to hurtle toward the spherical
concentration of mass, say theorists Robert Caldwell of Dartmouth
College and Albert Stebbins of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
in Batavia, Ill. That process would mimic the action of dark energy—a
local observer would be tricked into thinking that the universe’s
expansion is accelerating (Cowen, 2008).

The article further notes: “But that scenario violates the Copernican
principle, a notion near and dear to the hearts of physicists and
cosmologists, including Caldwell and Stebbins” (Cowen, 2008).
Both models eliminate the need for “Dark Energy,” the fudge factor that
accounts for 73% of the Universe according to the traditional Big Bang
theory. However, neither model has been seriously pursued because both
violate the arbitrary assumption that the Earth cannot be in a special
location (i.e., the “Copernican principle”). Many cosmologists feel a
special location would imply the existence of God.
But what if the Earth is in a special location? The secular models described in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science and Physical Review Letters
actually correspond quite well with the biblically consistent models
proposed by Russ Humphreys and others, especially when the potential
effects of gravitational time dilation are taken into account
(Humphreys, 1994; Thompson, 2004). These models explain how stars that
are billions of light years distant can be seen from an Earth that is
less than 10,000 years old, all based on a straightforward reading of
the Bible.
The assumption that radioactive decay rates have always been constant
may also be hindering scientific progress. For example, scientists have
discovered that changes in radioactive decay rates can be induced. The
June 8, 2009 CERN Courier noted:

It is a common belief that radioactive decay rates are unchanged by
external conditions, despite many examples of small shifts (particularly
involving external pressure and K-capture decays) being well documented
and understood. However, Fabio Cardone of the Institute per lo Studio
dei Materiali Nanostrutturati in Rome and colleagues have shown a
dramatic increase—by a factor of 10,000—in the decay rate of thorium-228
in water as a result of ultrasonic cavitation. Exactly what the physics
is and whether or not this sort of effect can be scaled up into a
technology for nuclear waste treatment remain open issues (Reucroft and
Swain, 2009).

Recent observations also suggest that radioactive decay rates
(typically assumed to be constant) can change due to causes that are not
yet fully understood. For example, in August 2010, a team of scientists
from Purdue and Stanford universities announced that the decay of
radioactive isotopes fluctuates in sync with the rotation of the Sun’s
core. The team has published a series of articles in Astroparticle Physics, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, and Space Science Reviews.
Although the measured change in decay rate is small (~0.1%), the fact
that change occurs at all is extremely significant. Team member Jere
Jenkins noted: “[W]hat we’re suggesting is that something that can’t
interact with anything is changing something that can’t be changed”
(Gardner, 2010).
When considering the effects of assumptions on the estimated age of the
Earth and Universe, it can also be instructive to look at the effects
of assumptions in other areas related to the debate between atheism and
the Bible. For example, in 2009 Richard Dawkins wrote: “What pseudogenes
are useful for is embarrassing creationists. It stretches even their
creative ingenuity to make up a reason why an intelligent designer
should have created a pseudogene…unless he was deliberately setting out
to fool us” (Dawkins, 2009, p. 332). What if scientists had believed
Dawkins, and had given up researching “pseudogenes” because those
scientists decided to assume pseudogenes were simply useless
evolutionary leftovers? Fortunately most scientists did not, and by 2012
extensive evidence had been uncovered that pseudogenes have functions
related to encoding proteins and gene expression. There is also sequence
conservation in pseudogenes. In 2012, the ongoing ENCODE project (which
includes 32 laboratories from around the world) simultaneously
published 30 scientific papers detailing new discoveries. Among their
conclusions were that “vast parts of the human genome thought to be
‘junk DNA’ are really filled with millions of cellular ‘switches’
helping choreograph the roles genes play in human life and disease,” and
that nearly all DNA “has some function in cellular creation and growth”
(Roop, 2012). With advancements in true science, the evolutionist’s
argument for assuming “junk DNA” is rapidly fading away, much as their
assumption of “vestigial organs” did in the late 20th century.
Biblically consistent assumptions have been shown superior in other
areas as well. Models based on those assumptions have successfully
predicted the strength and behavior of planetary magnetic fields, where
secular models have failed (Humphreys, 1984). Models that take into
account effects from the global Flood are not only consistent with the
geologic record, but do an excellent job predicting the observed extent
and effects of the ice age including the ice sheets that remain today
(Oard, 2005). The biblical claim that all humans are descendants of one
man and one woman, and that “He made from one man every nation of
mankind to live on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26, NASB) is
fully supported by modern genetics (Purdom, 2014). The argument that
“science” somehow supports racism (directly or indirectly made by
Darwin, Haeckl, Hitler, et al.) has been thoroughly rebuffed (Houts, 2007).

Conclusion

It is difficult to imagine how the Bible could make it any clearer that
God created the Universe in six literal days a few thousand years ago.
While apparently well meaning attempts have been made to devise
compromise positions, the technical and theological problems with these
attempts are well documented in the literature (e.g., Lyons, 2014; Thompson, 2000; Sarfati, 2004; Miller, 2012; Mortenson, 2005).
First Peter 3:14-15 states: “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled,
but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a
defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that
is in you, yet with gentleness andreverence” (NASB, emp. added).
Christians must not allow themselves to be intimidated by contemporary
human wisdom. While on the surface that “wisdom” can appear convincing,
closer examination has always supported the Bible.
The Bible also warns us not to distort Scripture in order to
accommodate contemporary human wisdom. Second Peter 3:16 states: “as
also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are
some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort,
as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction”
(NASB).
For some it can be hard to understand how the Earth can be a few
thousand years old when they have been told “science” says it is a few
billion years old. Individuals in that situation must resist the
temptation to distort Scripture in order to pretend the Bible is
consistent with that prevailing worldview. Although the distortion may
be done with the best of intentions, its end can be disastrous. Proverbs
14:12 tells us: “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end
is the way of death.”
Throughout history, Christianity has been attacked in a variety of
ways. While the attack based on “age” is currently en vogue, it is
becoming easier to rebut given advances in true science. Romans 3:4
remains as true today as it was in the first century: “[L]et God be
found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, ‘that
you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged’”
(NASB).

California’s Continual War Against Biblical Values

In October 2009, California passed a law that designated
every May 22 as gay day, which public schools (K-12) are expected to
celebrate. [The day is officially called “Harvey Milk Day” in honor of
Mr. Milk, a 1970s homosexual activist (Tran, 2009).] On July 14, 2011,
California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law that “require[s] public schools in the state [of California—EL]
to teach students about the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender Americans” (“California Governor…,” 2011, emp. added).
What else do California lawmakers have in store for their state?
Earlier this year (2012), California State Senator Ted Lieu authored a
bill (SB 1172) that would ban “gay cure” therapy. According to
Examiner.com, “The California State Legislature appears to be on the
brink of sending Governor Jerry Brown a bill which would impose
sanctions for providing professional help intent upon redirecting
children’s behavior with regards to sexuality” (Wimer, 2012). This would
be “a first-of-its-kind state law that would restrict parents from
trying to ‘cure’ their minor children’s same-sex attractions” by taking
them to Christian therapists (Crogan, 2012). According to Senator Lieu,
“We (the government) intervene all the time to restrict the rights of
individuals and parents regarding health issues” (e.g., laws prohibiting
minors from purchasing tobacco products and alcohol), so why not step
in to stop something that he and others deem unnecessary and damaging
(Crogan)?
The bill to ban homosexual therapy in California is simply the latest
example of how far the homosexual community (and those who represent
them) will go to silence the opposition. One cannot help but wonder what
the next step will be? If a Christian therapist in California can no
longer counsel a teenager about the sinfulness of homosexual actions and
ways to overcome homosexual feelings (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11), how
much longer will preachers be able to preach on the sinfulness of it
without being prosecuted? How long will it be before DHS knocks on the
door of a Christian family and threatens to take away the children if
the parents do not discontinue spreading so-called “hate speech” in
their home? Where will the intrusion on Christian families who believe
in the all-authoritative Word of God end (cf. Romans 1:26-27)?
If SB 1172 is signed into law in California, one also wonders if
parents will legally be able to get professional help from Christian
counselors regarding the sinfulness of pornography, fornication,
pedophilia, bestiality, or some other sexual sin. Again, where will the
slippery slope end?
Senator Lieu stated that at least part of his motivation for sponsoring
the bill was because he “wanted parents to understand that this therapy
is,” according to him, “crazy” (Wimer, 2012). In actuality, what is
“crazy” (spiritually speaking) is rejecting God’s will about the
sinfulness of all sexual relationships outside of a scriptural marriage
between one man and one woman (Matthew 19:1-10). What is foolish is
calling “vile,” “shameful…lust” (Romans 1:26-27; cf. Miller and Harrub, 2004) normal and incapable of being controlled.
Two thousand years ago, Peter and John were commanded by Jewish
officials “not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts
4:18). Their response needs to be echoed from roof tops across America
as various governing bodies continue to encroach on our religious
freedoms. “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more
than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20, emp. added).

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of
God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites…will inherit the kingdom of
God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were
sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by
the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

Book of Revelation (3)

The central message of the book of Revelation is that God alone is
to be worshiped and served and that that truth is to be maintained when
the Roman beast rises against the people of God. The central message of
the book is that the Roman Empire is the expression of the world spirit
(the Dragon, Satan) that opposes God’s kingdom purpose as it shows
itself in Jesus Christ and his followers. The central message is that
when the smoke clear it’s the followers of the Lord Christ that are
triumphant and that his Lordship is made concrete and local here on the
earth. The Roman Empire claims dominion but it’s a satanic claim. They
"prove" it by brutality and cruelty. The church insists that Jesus has
dominion and they prove it (as followers of Christ) by outliving,
out-suffering and out-lasting Rome The Glorious Woman (12:1-17)
We’ve glanced at the people of God under the image of 144,000
Israelites so here’s a brief look at the people of God presented in the
image of a glorious woman. The people of God are spoken of as
individuals throughout scripture, of course, but very often they are
spoken of as a corporate whole. The image of a woman is then used. See
Lamentations 1:1, Ezekiel 16:2,32, Isaiah 47:1,5,7,8 and Micah 4:10 as
a few examples out of a host. The woman is seen as the corporate whole
and the individuals are spoken of as "her children" (see Revelation
12:7 as an example).
This glorious woman wears a crown of twelve stars (12:1) which
identifies her as the representative of the whole people of God. The
high priest in the Old Testament wore a breastplate on which twelve
precious stones were placed. He carried them on his heart into the Holy
of Holies and made atonement for the whole house of Israel. The
splendor of this glorious woman is that in her crown she has the inner
nature of the twelve tribes of Israel (see again the comments on the
144,000 and see Revelation 7:4-8). The number twelve (see later) is the
number of God’s people.
She wears the sun and has the moon under her feet (12:1). These are
the appointed sources that bring light to the world. The Woman is that
light-bearer. See Philippians 2:15 and Matthew 5:14-16 and elsewhere.
This picture borrows heavily from the Old Testament. Here you have a
woman and her seed opposed by the Serpent (12:9) and that’s what we
find in Genesis 3:1-5, 14-15. We find the Woman pregnant, about to give
birth and the Dragon waiting to destroy the newly born. This is what we
find in Exodus 1:15-16 when the Egyptian king sought the death of the
newly born. Here we have the Dragon trying to destroy the Woman by
using a river at flood (12:15) and that’s what we find in Exodus 1:22.
(Isaiah 51:9-10 speaks of Egypt as a dragon. In that day she was how
satanic forces expressed themselves.)
The Woman is to be persecuted by the dragon. She suffers a
wilderness experience (12:6,14) but even in the wilderness God takes
care of her. This echoes the case of Elijah being cared for during the
famine that lasted three and a half years (more later) and it reminds
us of Israel in the wilderness sustained by God. The Dragon cannot
destroy the Child or the Woman (see Matthew 16:18) so he turns on the
"rest of her seed". When the Woman’s children are seen as contained in
her—they are a single whole. They are seen as her "children" when
they’re looked at as individuals (see 12:11,17).Remember: The Woman is the People of God viewed as a
corporate whole, a single unit. The People of God viewed individually
are called "her children".The Glorious City (21:2—22:5)
The glorious city is the people of God. We saw that the Roman Empire
was seen under the images of a wicked Woman and a famed City. The
people of God are seen as a glorious Woman and a glorious City.
The Holy City is described as a bride adorned for her husband
(21:2). Pay special attention to the fact that when the angel shows
John the "bride of the Lamb" (21:9) it is a holy City he shows him
(21:10). Now the wife of the Lamb (21:9) is the People of God, the
church of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:25-32).
Much of the language and imagery of the People of God as a City is
taken from Old Testament texts. Note that the City is a square with
walls 1,500 miles high, wide and long. They are 200 feet thick (see
21:15-17). Security is being stressed here for no ancient army could
storm such a city. Can you imagine walls 1,500 miles high? Mount Everest is what? Nearly 30,000 feet tall. That’s something like 6 miles high, isn’t it? These walls are pictured as 230 times the height of Everest.
The City is square, stressing stability, and it’s modeled on the
Holy of Holies, which was a square. And Israel encamped in a square
with the Tabernacle where God dwelled at the center of that square. The
Tabernacle was structured as a series of squares.
But it isn’t just stable and secure it is glorious, with golden
streets, walls of precious gems and twelve gates that are a single
pearl each. There are twelve gates with twelve angels on guard, the
names of the twelve tribes of Israel are on the gates and there are
twelve foundations on which are written the names of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb (21:12-14 and compare Ephesians 2:20). God and the
Christ dwell within (21:22) and the Tree of Life is there and gives
twelve kinds of fruit twelve times a year (22:2). The City gives light
to the nations of the world (21:24) and the leaves from its Tree of
Life give healing to the nations. TheTree of Life makes us think of the
Garden of Eden and the river flowing out of the City (22:1) that
benefits the earth reminds us of the the river that flowed out of the
Garden to water the earth (see Genesis 2:8-14 and Ezekiel 47:1-12).
Everything about this City is in contrast to the evil City of
chapter 18. Everything about this City and Woman is in contrast to the
Woman and City of chapter 17-18. This City is good for the nations and
the other is bad for them. This City has God dwelling in it and the
other has all kinds of abominations dwelling in it. This City is
eternal and glorious and the other is destroyed by burning and is
brought to the ground.
Chapter 18 gives a picture of the evil City when the whole story is
told. Chapters 21 and 22 give a picture of the glorious City when the
whole story is told. The evil City had its day of glory and power but
God finally judges it—it is destroyed and humiliated. The glorious City
has been trampled on (see 11:2) but it is finally vindicated and made
to triumph.
The description of the glorious City in chapters 21-22 is a
description of the triumphant People of God—after they have come
through their sore years under the Roman oppressor.The Two Witnesses (11:3-12)
The two Witnesses are the People of God! (Later, see the brief
remarks on the number "two".) The description of the two Witnesses is
taken mainly from the Old Testament. The couples on which they are
modeled include Moses and Aaron, Elijah and Elisha and Zerrubabel and
Joshua son of Jozadek (see this in 11:4-6). Just a quick glance at the
careers of these men shows that they’re God’s representatives in an
ungodly world and in troublous times. Moses and Aaron smote the earth
with plagues, Elijah and Elisha called fire down out of heaven, Elijah
is taken up into heaven and Zerrubabel and Joshua were the two
light-bearers that stood before the Lord in Zechariah 4:11-14.
The two Witnesses successfully proclaim the word of God while
dressed in sackcloth (11:3). In this vision they have the credentials
(miraculous signs) that prove they are indeed God’s representatives and
they have the sackcloth that says they are God’s witnesses during times
of trouble. Though clothed in sackcloth they can’t be stopped. That’s
in the first scene.
In the second scene describing their work they are attacked and
killed (11:7). Their enemies rejoice in what seems like a clear victory
over their tormentors (11:7-10). After all, their bodies lie dead for
three and a half days (they must surely be dead). But the two Witnesses
are raised (like their Master) and are taken up into heaven (11:11-12).
Again the experience of the Church is being imaged. The Witnesses
wear sackcloth so they’re in trouble but they still carry out their
mission and can’t be stopped. They are killed but they can’t be made to
stay dead. (Compare Paul’s description of the church under hardship in
2 Corinthians 4:7-10 and 6:4-10, especially 6:9.)Summary: In this section the People of God are
pictured for us in three images. A glorious Woman, a glorious City and
two Witnesses. The Woman is persecuted but protected, enemy soldiers
march in the glorious City but the citadel (11:2) is never taken. The
Witnesses wear sackcloth and are slain but no one can keep them from
completing their mission and death can’t hold them. You will remember
that the 144,000 go through the great tribulation but come out dressed
for a Jewish Tabernacle feast—all glory and rejoicing. Note that in all
this there is pain but protection and trouble but triumph. This trouble
and triumph theme runs throughout the book.

2Sa
16:1 When David was a little past the top of
the ascent, behold, Ziba the servant of
Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, and on them
two hundred loaves of bread, and one hundred clusters of raisins, and
one hundred summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.

2Sa
16:2 The king said to Ziba, What do you mean by these? Ziba said,
The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on; and the bread
and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as
are faint in the wilderness may drink.

2Sa
16:3 The king said, Where is your master's son? Ziba said to the
king, Behold, he abides at Jerusalem; for he said, Today will the
house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

2Sa
16:4 Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, all that pertains to
Mephibosheth is yours. Ziba said, I do obeisance; let me find favor
in your sight, my lord, O king.

2Sa
16:5 When king David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of
the house of Saul came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera.
He came out, and cursed still as he came.

2Sa
16:6 He cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David:
and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and
on his left.

2Sa
16:7 Thus said Shimei when he cursed, Be gone, be gone, you man of
blood, and base fellow:

2Sa
16:8 Yahweh has returned on you all the blood of the house of Saul,
in whose place you have reigned; and Yahweh has delivered the kingdom
into the hand of Absalom your son; and behold, you are caught by your
own mischief, because you are a man of blood.

2Sa
16:9 Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah to the king, "Why
should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over
and take off his head."

2Sa
16:10 The king said, What have I to do with you, you sons of
Zeruiah? Because he curses, and because Yahweh has said to him, Curse
David; who then shall say, Why have you done so?

2Sa
16:11 David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my
son, who came forth from my bowels, seeks my life: how much more may
this Benjamite now do it?
let him alone, and let him curse; for Yahweh has invited him.

2Sa
16:12 It may be that Yahweh will look on the wrong done to me, and
that Yahweh will requite me good for his
cursing of me this day.

2Sa
16:13 So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on
the hillside over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw
stones at him, and cast dust.

2Sa
16:14 The king, and all the people who were with him, came weary;
and he refreshed himself there.

2Sa
16:15 Absalom, and all the people, the men of Israel, came to
Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.

2Sa
16:16 It happened, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, was come
to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, Long
live the king, Long
live the king.

2Sa
16:17 Absalom said to Hushai, Is this your kindness to your friend?
Why didn't you go with your friend?

2Sa
16:18 Hushai said to Absalom, No; but whom Yahweh, and this people,
and all the men of Israel have chosen, his will I be, and with him
will I abide.

2Sa
16:19 Again, whom should I serve? Shouldn't I serve in the presence
of his son? as I have served in your father's presence, so will I be
in your presence.

2Sa
16:20 Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give your counsel what we
shall do.

2Sa
16:21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go in to your father's concubines,
that he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you
are abhorred by your father: then the hands of all who are with you
will be strong.

2Sa
16:22 So they spread Absalom a tent on the top of the house; and
Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all
Israel.

2Sa
16:23 The counsel of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as
if a man inquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of
Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.

2Sa
17:1 Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, Let me now choose out
twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this
night:

2Sa
17:2 and I will come on him while he is weary and exhausted, and
will make him afraid; and all the people who are with him shall flee;
and I will strike the king only;

2Sa
17:3 and I will bring back all the people to you: the man whom you
seek is as if all returned: so
all the people shall be in peace.

2Sa
17:4 The saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.

2Sa
17:5 Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us
hear likewise what he says.

2Sa
17:6 When Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him, saying,
Ahithophel has spoken after this manner: shall we do after
his saying? if not, speak up.

2Sa
17:7 Hushai said to Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel has given
this time is not good.

2Sa
17:8 Hushai said moreover, You know your father and his men, that
they are mighty men, and they are fierce in their minds, as a bear
robbed of her cubs in the field; and your father is a man of war, and
will not lodge with the people.

2Sa
17:9 Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other
place: and it will happen, when some of them are fallen at the first,
that whoever hears it will say, There is a slaughter among the people
who follow Absalom.

2Sa
17:10 Even he who is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion,
will utterly melt; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty
man, and those who are with him are valiant men.

2Sa
17:11 But I counsel that all Israel be gathered together to you,
from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for
multitude; and that you go to battle in your own person.

2Sa
17:12 So shall we come on him in some place where he shall be found,
and we will light on him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him
and of all the men who are with him we will not leave so much as one.

2Sa
17:13 Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel
bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until
there not be one small stone found there.

2Sa
17:14 Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai
the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For Yahweh had
ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that
Yahweh might bring evil on Absalom.

2Sa
17:15 Then Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests,
Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel that way; and I
have counseled this way.

2Sa
17:16 Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Don't
lodge this night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means
pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people who are
with him.

2Sa
17:17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying by En Rogel; and a
female servant used to go and tell them; and they went and told king
David: for they might not be seen to come into the city.

2Sa
17:18 But a boy saw them, and told Absalom: and they went both of
them away quickly, and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had
a well in his court; and they went down there.

2Sa
17:19 The woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth,
and strewed bruised grain thereon; and nothing was known.

2Sa
17:20 Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house; and they
said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? The woman said to them, They
have gone over the brook of water. When they had sought and could not
find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

2Sa
17:21 It happened, after they had departed, that they came up out of
the well, and went and told king David; and they said to David, Arise
and pass quickly over the water; for thus has Ahithophel counseled
against you.

2Sa
17:22 Then David arose, and all the people who were with him, and
they passed over the Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not
one of them who had not gone over the Jordan.

2Sa
17:23 When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he
saddled his donkey, and arose, and got him home, to his city, and set
his house in order, and hanged himself; and he died, and was buried
in the tomb of his father.

2Sa
17:24 Then David came to Mahanaim. Absalom passed over the Jordan,
he and all the men of Israel with him.

2Sa
17:25 Absalom set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Now Amasa was
the son of a man, whose name was Ithra the Israelite, who went in to
Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab's mother.

2Sa
17:26 Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

2Sa
17:27 It happened, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the
son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son
of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,

2Sa
17:28 brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and
barley, and meal, and parched grain,
and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse,

2Sa
17:29 and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of the herd, for
David, and for the people who were with him, to eat: for they said,
The people are hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.

2Sa
18:1 David numbered the people who were with him, and set captains
of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.

2Sa
18:2 David sent forth the people, a third part under the hand of
Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah,
Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite.
The king said to the people, I will surely go forth with you myself
also.

2Sa
18:3 But the people said, You shall not go forth: for if we flee
away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they
care for us: but you are worth ten thousand of us; therefore now it
is better that you are ready to help us out of the city.

2Sa
18:4 The king said to them, I will do what seems best to you. The
king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds
and by thousands.

2Sa
18:5 The king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal
gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. All the
people heard when the king commanded all the captains concerning
Absalom.

2Sa
18:6 So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the
battle was in the forest of Ephraim.

2Sa
18:7 The people of Israel were struck there before the servants of
David, and there was a great slaughter there that day of twenty
thousand men.

2Sa
18:8 For the battle was there spread over the surface of all the
country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword
devoured.

2Sa
18:9 Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was
riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a
great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up
between the sky and earth; and the mule that was under him went on.

2Sa
18:10 A certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw
Absalom hanging in an oak.

2Sa
18:11 Joab said to the man who told him, Behold, you saw it, and why
didn't you strike him there to the ground? and I would have given you
ten pieces of
silver, and a sash.

2Sa
18:12 The man said to Joab, Though I should receive a thousand
pieces of
silver in my hand, I still wouldn't put forth my hand against the
king's son; for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and
Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom.

2Sa
18:13 Otherwise if I had dealt falsely against his life (and there
is no matter hid from the king), then you yourself would have set
yourself against me.

2Sa
18:14 Then said Joab, I may not wait thus with you. He took three
darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom,
while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.

2Sa
18:15 Ten young men who bore Joab's armor surrounded and struck
Absalom, and killed him.

2Sa
18:16 Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing
after Israel; for Joab held back the people.

2Sa
18:17 They took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the
forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones: and all
Israel fled everyone to his tent.

2Sa
18:18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for
himself the pillar, which is in the king's dale; for he said, I have
no son to keep my name in memory: and he called the pillar after his
own name; and it is called Absalom's monument, to this day.

2Sa
18:19 Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear
the king news, how that Yahweh has avenged him of his enemies.

2Sa
18:20 Joab said to him, You shall not be the bearer of news this
day, but you shall bear news another day; but this day you shall bear
no news, because the king's son is dead.

2Sa
18:21 Then said Joab to the Cushite, Go, tell the king what you have
seen. The Cushite bowed himself to Joab, and ran.

2Sa
18:22 Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But come
what may, Please let me also run after the Cushite. Joab said, Why
will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the
news?

2Sa
18:23 But come what may, said he,
I will run. He said to him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the
Plain, and outran the Cushite.

2Sa
18:24 Now David was sitting between the two gates: and the watchman
went up to the roof of the gate to the wall, and lifted up his eyes,
and looked, and, behold, a man running alone.

2Sa
18:25 The watchman cried, and told the king. The king said, If he be
alone, there is news in his mouth. He came apace, and drew near.

2Sa
18:26 The watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called
to the porter, and said, Behold, another
man running alone. The king said, He also brings news.

2Sa
18:27 The watchman said, I think the running of the foremost is like
the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. The king said, He is a good
man, and comes with good news.

2Sa
18:28 Ahimaaz called, and said to the king, All is well. He bowed
himself before the king with his face to the earth, and said, Blessed
be Yahweh your God, who has delivered up the men who lifted up their
hand against my lord the king.

2Sa
18:29 The king said, Is it well with the young man Absalom? Ahimaaz
answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, even me your servant, I
saw a great tumult, but I don't know what it was.

2Sa
18:30 The king said, Turn aside, and stand here. He turned aside,
and stood still.

2Sa
18:31 Behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, News for my
lord the king; for Yahweh has avenged you this day of all those who
rose up against you.

2Sa
18:32 The king said to the Cushite, Is it well with the young man
Absalom? The Cushite answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and
all who rise up against you to do you hurt, be as that young man is.

2Sa
18:33 The king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the
gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, my son Absalom, my son,
my son Absalom! would I had died for you, Absalom, my son, my son!

Jun.
25

John
21

Joh
21:1 After these things, Jesus revealed himself again to the
disciples at the sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself this way.

Joh
21:2 Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael of Cana in
Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples
were together.

Joh
21:3 Simon Peter said to them, "I'm going fishing." They
told him, "We are also coming with you." They immediately
went out, and entered into the boat. That night, they caught nothing.

Joh
21:4 But when day had already come, Jesus stood on the beach, yet
the disciples didn't know that it was Jesus.

Joh
21:5 Jesus therefore said to them, "Children, have you anything
to eat?" They answered him, "No."

Joh
21:6 He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the
boat, and you will find some." They cast it therefore, and now
they weren't able to draw it in for the multitude of fish.

Joh
21:7 That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's
the Lord!" So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he
wrapped his coat around him (for he was naked), and threw himself
into the sea.

Joh
21:8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were
not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits away), dragging
the net full of fish.

Joh
21:9 So when they got out on the land, they saw a fire of coals
there, and fish laid on it, and bread.

Joh
21:10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you
have just caught."

Joh
21:11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great
fish, one hundred fifty-three; and even though there were so many,
the net wasn't torn.

Joh
21:12 Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast." None
of the disciples dared inquire of him, "Who are you?"
knowing that it was the Lord.

Joh
21:13 Then Jesus came and took the bread, gave it to them, and the
fish likewise.

Joh
21:14 This is now the third time that Jesus was revealed to his
disciples, after he had risen from the dead.

Joh
21:15 So when they had eaten their breakfast, Jesus said to Simon
Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?"
He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for
you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs."

Joh
21:16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah,
do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that
I have affection for you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep."

Joh
21:17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do
you have affection for me?" Peter was grieved because he asked
him the third time, "Do you have affection for me?" He said
to him, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I have
affection for you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.

Joh
21:18 Most certainly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed
yourself, and walked where you wanted to. But when you are old, you
will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you, and carry
you where you don't want to go."

Joh
21:19 Now he said this, signifying by what kind of death he would
glorify God. When he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me."

Joh
21:20 Then Peter, turning around, saw a disciple following. This was
the disciple whom Jesus sincerely loved, the one who had also leaned
on Jesus' breast at the supper and asked, "Lord, who is going to
betray You?"

Joh
21:21 Peter seeing him, said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this
man?"

Joh
21:22 Jesus said to him, "If I desire that he stay until I
come, what is that to you? You follow me."

Joh
21:23 This saying therefore went out among the brothers, that this
disciple wouldn't die. Yet Jesus didn't say to him that he wouldn't
die, but, "If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that
to you?"

Joh
21:24 This is the disciple who testifies about these things, and
wrote these things. We know that his witness is true.

Joh
21:25 There are also many other things which Jesus did, which if
they would all be written, I suppose that even the world itself
wouldn't have room for the books that would be written.